Angie Baby
Encyclopedia
"Angie Baby" is a popular song that was written by American Alan O'Day
, and became a hit for Australian singer Helen Reddy
. The song reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
chart at the end of December of 1974 and became one of Reddy's biggest-selling singles. The song also topped the U.S. adult contemporary
chart, Reddy's fifth #1 on this chart.
The song's cryptic lyrics have inspired a number of listener theories as to what the song is really about. Reddy has refused to comment on what the true storyline of the song is, partly because she has said she enjoys hearing other listeners' interpretations. Reddy has also said that "Angie Baby" was the one song she never had to push radio stations into playing.
" girl who "lives [her] life in the songs" she hears on "rock and roll radio;" and the disappearance of a neighborhood boy.
said the song took three months to write. Originally it was loosely based on the character in the Beatles’ "Lady Madonna
." In order to make the character more interesting, he decided to make her abnormal, and he thought of a young next door neighbor girl he had known who had seemed "socially retarded." O'Day said he also thought of his own childhood, since as an only child who was often ill, many of his days were spent in bed with a radio to keep him company. He named the character Angie, possibly inspired by the Rolling Stones' song "Angie". Originally the character was portrayed as mentally "slow," but while writing the song, O'Day showed it to his therapist, who pointed out that the character's reactions in the song were not those of a retarded person, so O'Day changed the lyric from "slow" to "touched," and the character's image changed from being retarded to being "crazy." This expanded to her living in a dream world of lovers, inspired by the songs on her radio. When a "neighbor boy with evil on his mind" tries to enter her room to take advantage of the girl, he is instead drawn into her reality, with weird and unexpected consequences. The intent was to show that the Angie character had more power than he or the listener expected; she shrank him down into her radio, where he remained as her slave whenever she desired him to come out.
’s "Ode to Billie Joe
" (which had a mystery about "something" thrown off the Tallahatchie Bridge). Some also thought of it as a "Women's Lib" song along the line of Reddy's other hits, like her other #1's, "I Am Woman
" and "Delta Dawn
," though O'Day says that that was not his intent, and that he was not consciously making a public statement.
O'Day revealed in 1998 that the "crazy" heroine in the song had "magic power" and "special abilities", and that he had deliberately blurred the lines between fantasy and reality. However, he still declined to give a detailed explanation of what happened to the boy in the song. Reddy herself had joked that the boy had become "a sound wave," an explanation that O'Day later refuted.
http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=2535 "Angie Baby" was also Reddy's final major hit in her native Australia at #13 while affording Reddy her sole charting single in Italy at #36.
The song was also featured as the sole Helen Reddy track as part of a promotional-only compilation album issued by Capitol Records
entitled "The Greatest Music Ever Sold" (Capitol SPRO-8511/8512), which was distributed to record stores during the 1976 Holiday season as part of Capitol's "Greatest Music Ever Sold" campaign, promoting 15 "Best Of" albums that were released by the record label.
In 1975 a Finnish rendering of the song retaining the English title was recorded by Cascade and also by Päivi Paunu while Zandra - the duo of Örjan Englund and Liza Öhman - recorded a Swedish rendering which renamed the title character "Carolina". Alan O' Day recorded his composition for his 1977 album Appetizers. "Angie Baby" has also been recorded by Barbara Dickson
.
The song was sampled in the song "Radio" by Backini. It was covered by The Uncle Devil Show
for their record A Terrible Beauty
.
Alan O'Day
Alan O'Day is an American singer-songwriter, best known for writing and singing "Undercover Angel," a song which was number 1 in 1977. He also wrote songs for several other notable performers, such as 1974's Helen Reddy number 1 hit "Angie Baby" and the Righteous Brothers' number 3 hit "Rock And...
, and became a hit for Australian singer Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy , often referred to as "The Queen of 70s Pop", is an Australian-American singer and actress. In the 1970s, she enjoyed international success, especially in the United States, where she placed fifteen singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Six of those 15 songs made the Top 10...
. The song reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart at the end of December of 1974 and became one of Reddy's biggest-selling singles. The song also topped the U.S. adult contemporary
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
chart, Reddy's fifth #1 on this chart.
The song's cryptic lyrics have inspired a number of listener theories as to what the song is really about. Reddy has refused to comment on what the true storyline of the song is, partly because she has said she enjoys hearing other listeners' interpretations. Reddy has also said that "Angie Baby" was the one song she never had to push radio stations into playing.
Lyrical story
As noted above, the songs lyrics are both mysterious and obscure, basically telling of Angie, a young, friendless "crazyInsanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
" girl who "lives [her] life in the songs" she hears on "rock and roll radio;" and the disappearance of a neighborhood boy.
Background
In an article he wrote in 2006, Singer/songwriter Alan O'DayAlan O'Day
Alan O'Day is an American singer-songwriter, best known for writing and singing "Undercover Angel," a song which was number 1 in 1977. He also wrote songs for several other notable performers, such as 1974's Helen Reddy number 1 hit "Angie Baby" and the Righteous Brothers' number 3 hit "Rock And...
said the song took three months to write. Originally it was loosely based on the character in the Beatles’ "Lady Madonna
Lady Madonna
"Lady Madonna" is a song by The Beatles, primarily written by Paul McCartney . In March 1968, it was released as a single, backed with "The Inner Light." The song was recorded on 3 and 6 February 1968 before the Beatles left for India...
." In order to make the character more interesting, he decided to make her abnormal, and he thought of a young next door neighbor girl he had known who had seemed "socially retarded." O'Day said he also thought of his own childhood, since as an only child who was often ill, many of his days were spent in bed with a radio to keep him company. He named the character Angie, possibly inspired by the Rolling Stones' song "Angie". Originally the character was portrayed as mentally "slow," but while writing the song, O'Day showed it to his therapist, who pointed out that the character's reactions in the song were not those of a retarded person, so O'Day changed the lyric from "slow" to "touched," and the character's image changed from being retarded to being "crazy." This expanded to her living in a dream world of lovers, inspired by the songs on her radio. When a "neighbor boy with evil on his mind" tries to enter her room to take advantage of the girl, he is instead drawn into her reality, with weird and unexpected consequences. The intent was to show that the Angie character had more power than he or the listener expected; she shrank him down into her radio, where he remained as her slave whenever she desired him to come out.
Interpretation of lyrics
Not everyone understood the meaning of O'Day's lyrics at the time, and after the song was released, it inspired a great deal of speculation on its true meaning. The song was compared to Bobbie GentryBobbie Gentry
Roberta Lee Streeter , professionally known as Bobbie Gentry, is a former American singer-songwriter notable as one of the first female country artists to compose and produce her own material...
’s "Ode to Billie Joe
Ode to Billie Joe
"Ode to Billie Joe" is a 1967 song written and recorded by Bobbie Gentry , a singer-songwriter from Chickasaw County, Mississippi. The single, released in late July, was a number-one hit in the United States, and became a big international seller. The song is ranked #412 on Rolling Stones list of...
" (which had a mystery about "something" thrown off the Tallahatchie Bridge). Some also thought of it as a "Women's Lib" song along the line of Reddy's other hits, like her other #1's, "I Am Woman
I Am Woman
"I Am Woman" is a song cowritten by Helen Reddy and singer/songwriter/guitarist Ray Burton and performed by Reddy. Released in its most well-known version in 1970, the song became an enduring anthem for the women’s liberation movement.-Success:...
" and "Delta Dawn
Delta Dawn
"Delta Dawn" is a song written by former child rockabilly star Larry Collins and songwriter Alex Harvey , best known as a 1972 top ten C&W hit for Tanya Tucker and a number-one hit for Helen Reddy in 1973.-Lyrical story:The title character is a faded southern...
," though O'Day says that that was not his intent, and that he was not consciously making a public statement.
O'Day revealed in 1998 that the "crazy" heroine in the song had "magic power" and "special abilities", and that he had deliberately blurred the lines between fantasy and reality. However, he still declined to give a detailed explanation of what happened to the boy in the song. Reddy herself had joked that the boy had become "a sound wave," an explanation that O'Day later refuted.
Recording history
"Angie Baby" became Helen Reddy's first charting single in the British Isles reaching #5 in both the UK and Ireland in February 1975; Reddy would chart again once in both nations with "I Can't Say Goodbye to You" - (#43 UK/ #16 Ireland) - in 1981.http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=2535 "Angie Baby" was also Reddy's final major hit in her native Australia at #13 while affording Reddy her sole charting single in Italy at #36.
The song was also featured as the sole Helen Reddy track as part of a promotional-only compilation album issued by Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
entitled "The Greatest Music Ever Sold" (Capitol SPRO-8511/8512), which was distributed to record stores during the 1976 Holiday season as part of Capitol's "Greatest Music Ever Sold" campaign, promoting 15 "Best Of" albums that were released by the record label.
In 1975 a Finnish rendering of the song retaining the English title was recorded by Cascade and also by Päivi Paunu while Zandra - the duo of Örjan Englund and Liza Öhman - recorded a Swedish rendering which renamed the title character "Carolina". Alan O' Day recorded his composition for his 1977 album Appetizers. "Angie Baby" has also been recorded by Barbara Dickson
Barbara Dickson
Barbara Ruth Dickson, OBE is a Scottish singer whose hits include "I Know Him So Well" and "January February"...
.
The song was sampled in the song "Radio" by Backini. It was covered by The Uncle Devil Show
The Uncle Devil Show
The Uncle Devil Show are a pop-rock guitar band formed as a side-project for three Scottish musicians, who use pseudonyms as their aliases. The band members are:*"Langton Herring" – singer-songwriter Kevin McDermott...
for their record A Terrible Beauty
A Terrible Beauty (album)
A Terrible Beauty is the first, and so far only, release from UK band The Uncle Devil Show. It was released on P3 Music in 2004.-Track listing:# "Leonardo's Bicycle"# "Gilbert O'Sullivan"# "Tambourine"# "Bimbo in the Limo"# "Plus Ca Change"...
.